Time has flown by and all of a sudden we’ve been Dubliners for six weeks. We’ve passed through the “settling in and buying bare essentials” phase and are now in the “Etsy-shopping for stuff to put on the walls and realizing we only own three different spices” phase. Today I actually bought dried basil without having a specific use for it in mind. I guess this means we’re not moving out any time soon!

It was with a heavy heart that I accepted the fact that we’d have to settle for a one-bedroom apartment this time and not get the two-beds I’d been hoping for. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like to have an entire room to put toys and baby clothes in, and then to just shut the door and not find myself sitting on The Hungry Caterpillar when I can finally put my feet up in the evening.
But as it usually goes, after the first month the new unfamiliar place that still smells a bit strange has suddenly turned into your home that couldn’t feel more normal. Time heals, and saves money?

So this is our apartment by the train. At least that’s how I imagine we’ll refer to it in the future. It runs right by our building and only reminds us a few times every hour. It’s the topic of many of our conversations each day. And it has an almost magical influence on our daughter! It has the ability to draw away her attention from anything she could be doing, eating, playing, being changed or even crying. It instantly makes her forget time and place. There is only her.. and that train.

Usually I’ll hear it first, a faint building rumble in the distance. It gives me just enough of a head start to turn and watch my daughter’s eyes go blank, grow huge and dart to meet mine. Next will follow the almost unnoticed crash of whatever she dropped to the floor in astonishment. She’ll stick around only long enough to whisper, “toh, toh!” before she’ll run to the window and spend a few silent moments watching the green flash by. Finally she raises her hand, waves and says, “bye-bye” as the train disappears around the corner.